Fastening collar for attaching a cylindrical element to a perforated plate



1953 R. J. LEVERTE ,664,132

FASTENING COLLAR FOR ATTACHING A CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT To A PERFORATED PLATE Filed March so, 1950 INVENTOR Robert leverie Patented Dec. 29, 1953 FASTENING COLLAR FOR ATTACHING A CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT TO A PER- FORATED PLATE Robert J. Leverte, Elmont, N. Y., assignor to Samuel C. Miller, New York, N. Y.; Rosalie E. Miller, executrix of said Samuel C. Miller, de-

ceased Application March 30, 1950, Serial No. 152,929

2 Claims. (01. 151-41374) This invention relates to insulator assemblies;

more particularly to means for mounting high tension insulator housings upon sign frames or similar plates. This invention may be illustrated as useful in connection with the mounting of high voltage insulator housings referred to in the patents to Samuel C. Miller, Nos. 2,046,960; 2,206,913; 2,219,327; 2,325,621.

The insulators and attaching means of the foregoing patents are particularly valuable in insulating the electrode end of a high tension or gaseous discharge illuminant on sign frames and in specific instances aforementioned, include attaching means applicable from the front face of the frame through a hole formed in the sign plate or frame. In the installation of these insulators by the fastening means there are frequently encountered irregularities in the thickness of the plates and in the contour of the plate perforations, which require special attention and special treatment, involving losses in labor to overcome the same.

It is an object of my invention to provide for use in a high voltage electrode insulator having a flange and neck and particularly a threaded neck, of a fastening collar whereby the insulator may be attached from the front face of the frame through an opening, rigidly to hold the collar in position, overcoming vibration stresses tending to displace it and conforming to irregularitie which may be encountered in the frame to which the insulator is to be attached, such as irregularly shaped holes, burrs, differences in thickness or poorly machined or punched openings.

It is contemplated by my invention to provide fastening means for use in high voltage electrode insulators which may be made from simple metal stampings and which may be deformed by hand or by the insulator to effect rapid engagement with the plate to which the insulator is to be attached, and which will have all of the rigidity of attachment of screw collars applied to the rear face of frames for the purposes described while having additional benefits of shock resistance characteristic of using spring washers, as well as economy of production and installation.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may appear herein or be hereinafter pointed out, I make reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of an attaching collar blank for making the attachment in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view thereof at an intermediate stage;

Figure 3 is a perspective view with the parts formed for use;

Figure 4 is a side elevation showin my device in use;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Summarizing my invention, I provide an attaching collar in the form of a ring member, made by stamping the same from sheet metal comprising a ring member specifically having deformable fingers which may engage the neck of an insulator to be mounted on the frame of a sign. The fingers are resilient and have neck engaging portions positioned alon a pitch line distance of the threaded screw of the neck of the insulator to permit threading of the insulator from the front face of the frame and including barbs which are directed into the rear face of the frame, to hold the collar and insulator against relative movement while centering the insulator and fastening means resiliently against lateral shifting in the frame.

My invention is exemplified in connection with the mounting of an insulator I upon a frame F in order to hold the electrode end E of a high tension illuminant in accordance with the form generally described in the Miller patents aforementioned. The insulator I, as exemplified, has its neck portion 5 formed with a moulded screw thread section 6 which may be projected through the orifice 1 formed in the frame F. The insulator has a flange 8 which abuts the front face of the plate in its limiting position. The insulator screw threaded section 6 acts as the male portion of a bolt and nut combination to engage a fastening collar 9, to hold the insulator mounted on the frame F.

The fastening collar 9 in accordance with my invention comprises a ring [0 which may be stamped from sheet metal, preferably relatively springy metal such as phosphor bronze. The ring is formed with an annulus ll of a size to receive the neck and threaded section of the insulator housings. The ring is formed with radially directed fingers I2, I3, [4 and I5 whose edges I8, l1, l8 and I9 are generally arcuate along a radius corresponding to the neck of the insulator.

The fingers are arranged to be bent at the lines having spurs 29 extended from the bases 30. The wings are arranged to be bent along the line 3|, to direct the triangularly shaped wings when folded in parallel with each other and oppositely directed to the lips previously described.

An arcuate protrusion rim 32 may be formed in the ring to stiffen the same centrally, as well as to form a concentrated point of contact while forming spring edges to each side thereof.

With the stamping as shown in Figure 1 provided, the device may be furnished for shipment to the trade by bending the lips 24, 25, 25 and 21 at right angles to the fingers and directing the wings 28 opposite thereto at rightangles, as more clearly shown in Figure 2.

With the construction thus described, the collar may be superimposed over the opening I and preliminarily held in the aperture 1 by di'recting" the wings 28 into the aperture. The prongs 39 and bases 39 are sprung sufficiently to prevent accidental displacement. In this position the insulator 5 may be forced against the fingers l2, l3, l4 and I5, simultaneously to bend the same rearwardly through the aperture 1 and form the same at an angle normal to the ring 10, as more clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4. As the necl; of the insulator encounters the lips of the fingers, especially if the neck is tapered, there is sufficient resiliency in the fingers to permit guiding of the neck over the edges [6, ll, I8 and 19.

The edges thus described fall in the valleys V of the threads and are bent about the corners 33 for a distance spaced from the ring comprising progressively the pitch line of the screw 6. As the insulator is pushed rearwardly through the frame, wings 28 stiffen the fingers to drive the barbs 29 into engagement with the rear face 34 of the frame. As the insulator is turned clockwise, the collar I is brought into more intimate engagement with the frame F and held against relative movement with regard to the insulator until the ridge 32 is brought into engagement with the front face of the frame F, fixedly to hold the insulator in position.

By the construction provided, it will be observed that a very compact collar is p ovi d w ehin storage, occupies the minimum amount of space. This collar may, when ready for use as shown inFigure 2, be snapped into atempor'ary position before deformation to its finalposition, serving as a nut or female section of the screw threaded bolt and nut combination for holding the insulator in position or the radial fingers thereof may be shaped into the nut'contour pesi tion, as shown inFigure .3 where'the edges'all fall in a screw pitch line graduation of one con-f volution.

By the foregoing construction I provide a fastening means for insulators which permits". assembly of the insulator from the front face of the frame plate. This assembly adapts itself quickly to irregularities encountered in the plates, such as thicknesses of metal, irregularities in the borings by reason of the manner in which they 4 are punched or sawed or formed with burrs, and simply by pressing the insulator therethrough, to engage the lip edges I6, I1, 18 and I9, threadedly engaging the insulator in position.

Having thus described my invention and illus trated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A fastening collar for attachment of elongate elements from the front face of a frame plate through a hole in the plate, comprising a substantially fiat main body member having an opening through which a portion of an elongate element may pass, and a plurality of resilient fingers secured to said main body member and spaced about the perimeter of said opening and extending towardthe center of said opening, the ends of said fingersbeing deformable into angularly extending end projections, the sides of said fingers having lateral extensions deformable into angular side projections; whereby formation of said angular end prOjections and formation of said angular side projections oppositely from the directionof said angular end projections enables engagement of an element by said end projections and clamping of said frame between saidmain body member and side projections, upon inser;

tion of the element through the collar with the collar positioned over the frame hole. 3

2. A fastening collar for attachment of elongate elements fronr the front face of a fraime, platethrough a hole in the plate, comprising a substantially fiat main body member having an openingthrough which a portion ofan elongate, element may pass, and a plurality of resilient fingerssecured to said main body member and spaced aboutthe perimeter of said opening and extending toward the center of said opening, the ends of said fingers being formedwith angularly,

extending end. projections, the sides of said fingers having angularly extending side pro jec tions projecting oppositely from said end projec; tions, said end projections being adapted-to en gage an elongate element and saidside projections being adapted to clamp the frame between them and the main body member upon the in:

sertion of the elongate element into the opening with the collar positioned over the frame-hole.

ROBERT J. EVERT 

